Ravager Business
by ViciousHerring
Summary: A year has passed since A Parental Phone Call. I wondered where our clan of space pirates got their ships, and ultimately how Quill got the Milano. Which, in turn, made me wonder where he slept before then. I do not own any Marvel characters. Rated T for coarse language, violence, and suggestive themes. Critique is always welcome. Followed immediately by First Night on a New Ship
1. Chapter 1

"Course he sleeps in my quarters! You think it's safe fer that boy ta be anywhere else on the Eclector?!" Yondu sighs heavily, "I gotta handful o' men that're still tryin' to box Quill up ta deliver ta that asshole, Ego..."

The video image of Madam Sol-ya frowns, "Well, you're getting three new s-ships-s tomorrow, right? Why not give him one of thos-se? Peter will be jus-st as s-safe on his-s own M-ship as he is-s in your cabin."

"Hmh."

The naga-like woman grins and rolls her eyes. She knows that that particular huff means Yondu knows she's right but doesn't want to listen.

"Yondu..."

Now he's not listening at all, he's not even looking in her direction. He's staring at a small bunk in the corner of his suite that's covered in child-sized clothes and bundled-up blankets and who knows what else.

"Yondu!"

"Hunh?!" the Ravager Captain startles, "Yeah..."

The arms-dealing Madam smiles widely, she's seen her best friend and client change dramatically over the two years he's had the Terran child. Changes that she finds overwhelmingly attractive. "Peter does-sn't even s-sleep in his-s own bed, does-s he?"

Udonta scoffs, "Tch, not in over a year," he tries to hide his grin by scratching his nose. "Kid doesn' even pretend anymore, huh! 'E jus' climbs up on my pillow an' passes out."

Rose-colored, reptilian eyes widen at the barely-concealed affection in Yondu's words. She's never heard him speak of any creature in the galaxy in such a way. "You're going to mis-s him...!" Sol-ya breathes with new-found understanding, if she had tear ducts, she would cry, "He's-s really your s-son!"

That brings him back, "What?! Oh, no..." Yondu lifts his hands to slow her train of assumptions, "No, Sol, he ain'..."

"What do you mean, 'No'?" she interrupts him sharply, "Yondu, if you really want that boy to be s-safe, you'll claim him as-s your s-son!"

This became a bad conversation for a vid-call, real quick. "Slow down, woman," the pirate says as calmly as he can, "It's much more complicated than that!"

"That's-s shit and you know it!" Sol-ya hisses angrily, and, for a moment, Yondu thinks she might actually come through the display at him. Her tirade goes on and she has some valid points, but the Centaurian is certain he's making the right decision about Peter. He just knows he won't be able to explain it to her til she finishes spittin' at him. She sure is pretty when she's yellin', though.

"Cap'm?"

Yes, Yondu thinks, that man's timing is a gift from the angels. "Come in, Kraglin," the Captain calls out and he grins at the Madam. "Alrigh', Sol, smooches," he cuts her off just as she begins to question his virility. "Ravager business. Cetch you later. Bye," he waves and disconnects the call.

"Madam had some things ta say, hunh?" Kraglin chuckles as he watches his superior sag with relief in the sudden quiet.

"Yah," Udonta shakes his head and sighs, he grins crookedly at his man, "I do think she's cute when she's mad at me, though. So," Yondu claps his hands together and strides toward the hatchway, "Let's get them new ships."


	2. Chapter 2

Three, shining, roaring M-ships perform high-speed, close-combat maneuvers in the heavy atmosphere over the Wreck Room Shipyards on the far southern continent of "-REDACTED-" (hunh, weird) at the edge of the Triangulum Galaxy, between Kree and Nova space. Yondu pulls his coat tighter around himself and carefully watches the scout ships move through their paces.

"Some good lookin' birds you made me, Rickett," the Ravager Captain sniffs and looks across the observation deck, perched on the face of a sharp cliff, overlooking the sprawling industrial compound, to a skinny Hurctarian who watches the air show with him. "Looks like another successful deal's abou' ta be concluded."

"Ah..." Rickett twitches, he glances nervously at his client, "Our deal's gotta change, Yondu... S'gonna be... three and a half, now... for the ships."

The pirate narrows his bright, red eyes, "Is 'at so?" Udonta replies lowly, he grabs the link in his coat collar. "Set 'em down, boys," he commands, and the soaring M-ships begin to descend, "I think we abou' ta have a dispute with our friend, Rickett."


	3. Chapter 3

A single, sharp note launches the Yaka bolt at Rickett and the shipwright flinches but doesn't relent. The skinny bi-ped stands his ground despite being surrounded by Ravagers and the unconscious bodies of his security detail.

"Th-the price stands, Yondu..." Rickett Swall stammers, he's known the blue-skinned pirate long enough that he's relatively certain he'll live through this 'dispute.' "G-go ahead and... hurt me, b-but three and a half is s-still a fair rate...!"

"Hurtin' you wouldn' work anyway," Udonta sneers, "but I know what would..." The Centaurian whistles an ascending semiquaver and his terrible missile darts away.

"Aahh!" Swall lets out a strangled noise as his eyes follow the arrow's luminous trail, "Are you crazy!?"

Yondu shrugs, "Prob'ly." He plants his fists on his hips and glares at the shipwright, "Wha's really crazy, though, is you tryin' ta charge me another 750 thousand units over a price we already shook on! Tha's jus' nuts, Swall, ain' it?"

The Hurctarian grabs his cybernetic head and sinks to his knees. He can't tear his gaze away from the glowing bolt hovering inches away from a pressurized tank of unprocessed accelerant. "You'll kill us all..."

"Well, not all..." the Captain grabs a large, formed piece of blackened metal that leans against a nearby work station and clangs it loudly on the rock floor as he stands it upright. "I got this arc shield here," Yondu frowns at his panicked associate, "so, I' be fine... can't speak ta yer safety, though."

Udonta's attending Ravagers shoot furtive looks at one another at their Captain's casual threat. They, each, begin inching their way toward Yondu to stand behind his blast shield.

"Alright-alright-alright! FINE!" Swall spouts, throwing his four-fingered hands in the air. "Original price! Don-don-don't blow up the Wreck Room... I've been rebuilding for months! I'll be ruined if it happens again!"

Yondu's blue brow furrows and he blows a short, trilling melody, recalling his deadly arrow, and the Hurctarian nearly passes out with relief. "What the hell does that mean!?" Udonta shouts, stepping on a Guna security guard to approach his long-time shipwright, "'If it happ'ns ag'in'?!" He tosses the arc shield to one of his men, "You sayin' you got some other asshole breathin' down yer neck an' you weren' gonna tell me?!"

"I-I-I-I didn't think you cared," Rickett cowers at the Ravager Captain's proximity. Yondu slaps the man.

"You deserved that, Rickett," the pirate says, pointing a stern finger at the trembling alien, "fer assumin' such an' hurtin' my feelin's. How long you been buildin' my ships, hunh?"

Swall sputters as he tries to reply, when CRASH! THUD! CRRNCH! THUMP! csshhw! He and Yondu, both, jump and glare at the Centaurian's bodyguard, Half-Nut, who's just inadvertently destroyed an entire coupling array.

Yondu sneers, "An' that's fer tryin' ta put me over a barrel on this deal," he says, taking advantage of the destruction. Rickett's chin trembles but he nods, accepting the pronouncement. "Come on, Swall," the Captain drapes an arm around the skinny builder, "Why don' you tell ol' Yondu what happened..."


	4. Chapter 4

"I-I don't know what ta say, Yondu..." the Hurctarian murmurs as he and the Ravager Captain stride down the lowered ramp of one of the commissioned M-ships, "I think you just saved my shipyards..."

Yondu smirks and waves to his men, who lounge on the launch platforms. "Ya keep that ta yerself, Swall, I' got a reputation ta maintain. 'Sides that it jus' wouldn' do ta lose the larges' illicit shipwright in this quadrant ta bankruptcy."

Half-Nut approaches the shiny, orange and blue ship. He thumps a fist, twice, on his chest to salute his Captain and moves to board, but Yondu waves him off.

"Wont you ta ride wi' Ning," Udonta says to his bodyguard, "I got some calls I gotta make. Horuz ready ta go?"

"Aye, Cap'n, we're all set," the long-haired humie replies.

"Good," Yondu hits his link, "Gitara, Half-Nut's goin' with you. Let's get these birds in the air."

An annoyed groan sounds from the launch deck and Half-Nut runs toward it, shouting, "Ning," while Horuz laughs raucously at his crewmates. Yondu rolls his red eyes and says a final good-bye to his shipwright.

The Captain takes his time closing up the ship and firing the thrusters. He runs his hands over the consoles and settles into the pilot's chair. Yondu looks over to the empty co-pilot's seat and imagines his adopted son flying with him. He smirks and pushes the M-ship through the upper atmosphere and free of the planet's gravity. He knows exactly what he's going to do with this bird when he gets home.


	5. Chapter 5

Yondu taps the network comm and punches in a secure channel to Sol Station. He wonders if she'll answer, then he smirks at himself and shakes his head. Sol-ya always answers. Her image is so still and stone-faced, though, that Udonta wonders, now, if she accepted the video feed.

"Can we talk abou' this? Or do you jus' wonna yell yer pretty, li'l head off some more?"

The snake-woman blinks slowly, she is still so pissed, "Fine. What makes-s it s-so complicated to call Peter your s-son?"

"Ugh, dammit, Sol-ya," Yondu wearily rubs his eyes, she jus' jump right in, don' she, "Yer makin' it sound like I'm thrilled ta be in this position..."

The Madam throws her hands in the air and rolls her eyes, "What the hell is-s that suppos-sed to mean? Pleas-se, Yondu, ex-splain it to me."

"You really think the other Ravager Captains will let my heir live to adulthood?!" Udonta shouts suddenly, his mohawk-like implant glows with his frustration. "Use yer damn head, woman! Stakar wouldn' condone the murder, but he certainly wouldn' stop it! I got some in my own clan who'll use that child ag'inst me if they know 'e's my son!"

Only when he stops for breath does Yondu realize what he's admitted, even, finally, to himself; he looks away.

"He's my son," Yondu says again, quietly this time, and looks up to meet his confidante's gaze. "No one can know Peter is my son."

Sol-ya doesn't say anything at first, she, also, has the decency to refrain from being smug. "I unders-stand," she says gently, "There's-s a big enough target on him already. S-so... when did you make Peter your heir?"

The blue-skinned Ravager huffs, she reads him like a damn book, he smiles a tiny bit, "'Bout two months ago... Same time I ordered that third ship." Yondu shrugs and gestures broadly, "This ship, which you's right abou'. My boy's a good pilot, an' he'll be just as safe on 'is own M-ship as 'e'd be in my quarters."

"They grow up s-so fas-st, don't they?"

They chuckle and smile and regard one another with a quiet longing that's lived between them for many years. Sol-ya clears her throat and her scaly skin flushes to a deep pink, they laugh at themselves this time.

"I'm s-sending you a gift, right now," the Madam says, "to s-celebrate a child-free bedroom..."

"Ooo," Yondu waggles his blue brows, "Don' s'pose yer the one that'll be jumpin' outta that gift box, hunh?"

She gives him a coy smile, "Not this-s time." Sol-ya looks away, at something or someone out of view, and nods. "Well..."

"Hang on a sec, Sol," he says quickly, almost forgot about the business end, "You know anythin' 'bout some Kree asshat callin' 'imself the Accuser?"

"Ronan the Accus-ser?" she folds her arms and frowns, "S-some... He's-s a noble, and a religious-s nut... Been good for my busines-s, though. I've nearly tripled sales-s along the Nova border becaus-se of his-s zealots-s. Why?"

Yondu sucks on his jagged teeth, "Wreck Room got blitzed not too long ago. Rickett sed he w's swarmed by Necrocraft practic'ly singin' hymns ta this high-born, Kree shithead. Swall's so underwater rebuildin', 'e tried ta squeeze me fer almost another mil!"

"Aww, poor S-swall," the arms-dealing Madam murmurs sincerely, "I'll put the word out that he needs-s work. He s-still clean ships-s?"

The Ravager scoffs, "Poor Swall, tch! Course 'e does! You coul' bring 'im Nova Prime's personal corvette an' e'd flip it for ya! Man's got no principles ta speak of!"

"S-sounds like my kinda man," Sol-ya teases, she grins at Yondu's mock-surprise, "Gotta go, now, Yondu, Madam busines-s. S-smooches."

She waves and disconnects the call.

"Smooches," he echoes softly and sighs. The Ravager Captain shakes his head and scrubs his hands over his face. His console pings and the HUD shows his flight path into clan space and, finally, back to the Eclector. "Home ag'in, home ag'in..."


	6. Chapter 6

Kraglin strolls along an upper gangway in the hangar bay admiring the newest ships in the Yondu Clan fleet. He's tempted to be jealous, but he can see, clearly, that his M-ship, the Long Gun(n) [I giggled as I typed that] is far superior. Mostly 'cause it's his, ...and it carries nearly double the armament of a standard M-class scout, including, but not limited to, the long-range particle cannon that gives the ship its name.

The First Mate hollers to his men, directing them to get started on the "Ravager re-fit" of the new ships. Pirates appear from all around him, swarming over the machines, adding insignia, syncing networks and comms, and removing safeties and governors. This small portion of the Eclector's cavernous hangar is suddenly abuzz with activity.

"Hey, Kraglin!" Yondu yells, drawing the Xandarian to the nose of the orange and blue ship, "We're gonna hafta go over the books t'morrow."

"Yeah, we are," Obfonteri replies as his superior jumps down from the open cockpit to land in front of him on the gangway, "Cap'n, you subsidized the Wreck Room."

Udonta gives his man a sharp look, "I diversified our holdings."

The statement earns him an open-mouthed, incredulous stare that Yondu is completely unbothered by, he shrugs.

"Swall's delivering a second Construction in three months," the Centaurian says, trying to ease his second's mind, and it works, a bit. Kraglin bobs his head and makes a sound of slight agreement, but Yondu's not paying attention. "Where's Quill?"

Kraglin grins meanly, "Gef's gettin' 'im."

Yondu snorts, "'At's a bad idea," he chuckles.

"Heh, yeah. It i..."

"AAAAARRGGGHHHH! You little bastard!"


	7. Chapter 7

The ten-year-old Ravager kicks his way out of a heavy, broadcloth bag, brandishing a short-bladed knife.

"I told you I'd stab yer ass if you did that to me again, Gef!" Peter yells. He bares his teeth and snarls at the rotund pirate as others gather to see the commotion.

Quill is so focused on gutting Gef, that he's perfectly unaware of where he is and who's around him. The boy grips his knife and takes a fighting stance, or what he imagines is a fighting stance. To be honest, this is the first time he's reacted with anger rather than fear.

The bespectacled Ravager awkwardly runs his hand over his own shoulder, checking for blood. Gef growls when his hand comes away red, "I'm gonna kill you, Quill!"

"Come at me, Four-Eyes!" Peter shouts and he lunges, but a piercing whistle rings through the hangar and the Yaka arrow appears in his path. The youngest Ravager gulps and gasps and lurches backwards, falling, hard, to the grated gangway.

A taunting run of notes drives the luminous bolt at Peter, forcing him to scuttle backwards, heedless of everything but that deadly, flying arrow. Yondu's whistling sounds loudly though the hangar bay as all other activity has stopped. Dozens of Ravagers watch the scene unfold, and some place quiet bets on the outcome.

Quill scrabbles, crab-like, away from the vicious weapon til he backs, unknowingly, into the Captain's legs and presses himself against Yondu's boots.

"C-cap'n!" Gef sputters, "I was only following Kraglin's orders. A-and Quill just stabbed me a bunch!"

"I tol' you ta bring Pete to tha hangar, not put him in a bag!" the First Mate replies angrily. "Someone hit him," Kraglin commands and Brahl elbows the bearded pirate in the nose.

Yondu taps his adopted son on the head, drawing the boy's wide-eyed attention away from the Yaka arrow. Peter's blue eyes are bright with uncertainty as he stares up at his Captain.

"Knife," Udonta says.

Peter swallows drily, his gaze flicks nervously to the hovering, red missile. He slowly raises his arm and opens his hand to offer the blade to his adoptive father, which Yondu accepts. The Centaurian inspects the knife and smirks, it's his, and he could 'a sworn it was in his pocket the whole time he was at the shipyards. Kid's fingers 're gettin' stickier every day, Yondu thinks proudly.

Yondu's smirk turns into a sneer. His sudden whistle recalls the Yaka bolt and he steps back, allowing Peter to fall, once again, onto the metal grating. A subtle signal to Kraglin prompts the Xandarian to grab the kid by his shirtfront and hoist him into the air.

"Are we s'posed ta be runnin' around' stabbing our shipmates, Mr. Quill?" the Ravager Captain asks as Peter struggles in the First Mate's grip.

"You told me I had ta make good on my threats!" the boy replies through gritted teeth.

The blue pirate's eyes widen, and he frowns at the response. Then he throws his head back and laughs. The audience of Ravagers laugh as well, that is, truly, something their Captain would say.

"Put 'im down, Kraglin, I'm callin' this one square," Yondu chuckles, "An' get Gef to tha med-bay, he's gettin' blood all over the place."


	8. Chapter 8

The ruckus and bets have been settled and the pirates return to their duties. Yondu's shoulders still shake with amusement at whole thing as he hunkers down in front of his son.

"Ya won' always get so lucky, Quill," Udonta says through a laugh, he threads his fingers into Peter's tousled hair and the boy hisses and flinches away. "Wha' happen'd here?" the Captain frowns, grabbing the kid's head and sifting through the honey-brown locks. "Hold still, boy."

"Ow!" Peter squeaks and grabs Yondu's hands as they expose an egg-shaped knot on the boy's scalp with a small cut on the very top of it.

"Aw, that ain' too bad. I think y'll live," the Ravager Captain murmurs, his hands slide to rest on the child's shoulders.

Peter makes a face and grumbles under his breath. He's still all riled up from his first stabbing and stares at Yondu with youthful belligerence. "Gef's a dick."

The Captain bites his lips and snorts as he tries not to laugh in his son's face, "Yah, he can be."

The boy's chin trembles, the adrenalin's fading and Peter realizes he's probably in big, big trouble. "C-cap'n... I..." but Yondu stops him with a tilt of his head.

"We are gonna hafta talk abou' this, son," Udonta says, "but right now, I got this new ship what's got no name..." Yondu glances to the orange and blue M-ship, "or a body ta fly it. ...Wonna take 'er for a spin with me?"


	9. Chapter 9

Quill is practically buzzing with excitement as he clambers up to the control deck. He's rarely allowed onto the scout ships, and certainly never the newest ones in the fleet. Peter jumps into the command chair and starts to put on his seat belts when the Captain joins him.

"What're you doin' there, boy?" Yondu waves to the pilot's seat, "Get yer butt in that flight seat, Peter. Ya can't fly from back here."

The Terran stills, "For real?"

"Yeah, fer real," Udonta replies, "I ain' pilotin' shit right now." He settles into the co-pilot's chair, puts his boots up on the secondary console and clasps his hands behind his head, "See? Move it, kid, Cap'n's orders."

"Yes, Sir!" and the boy literally bounces from one seat to the other. Quill wiggles happily as he taps in the start-up sequence, then scoots back in the chair to put on his safety harness.

Yondu glances sideways and watches his boy feel around the sides and front of the seat as if he dropped something. The Captain snickers and points to a set of buttons on the base of the chair. "Peter."

"Hmh?"

"S'right there."

"It is?" Peter leans over the arm of the chair and scans the floor.

"Yeah," Yondu's hand flashes upward and bops the boy's nose and points, again, at the buttons, "Right there."

The child Ravager wrinkles and rubs his nose. He gives Yondu a goofy grin as he reaches down and adjusts the seat.

"You good now?"

"Yes."

Peter lays his hands on the controls and expertly threads the M-ship through the hangar.

Not bad, Yondu thinks. "R'member what I said about this bay?"

"Wide on the right... and straight down," Quill answers, tipping the ship and boosting clear of the Eclector.

Yondu laughs at the sudden G's and he gives Peter a roguish smile, "Open 'er up, son. Let's see what you two can do."


	10. Chapter 10

"BAHAHAHAHHAHA! Did you see the'r faces?! I' nev'r seen my station crew hit the deck like 'at!" Yondu wipes at his eyes and gasps for breath, "Rozuu dove right outta 'is seat!"

Peter smiles widely at his adoptive father's giggles, he's never heard the pirate laugh so without being drunk. "I asked before I did it."

Udonta laughs again, "Ya did, but these fools don' know what a 'tower fly-by' is... You got that from one o' yer Terran shows yer always goin' on abou', dint'chu?"

"Top Gun," the ten-year-old says proudly, "It's about the best fighter pilots on Earth. Maverick, and Goose, and Ice Man..."

"Ice Man? ...Hunh, makes me think 'a Martinex..." the Captain becomes thoughtful, he lets out a heavy breath, "'At takes me back..." Yondu shakes away the memories and looks at his son. "Listen, Peter..."

"I'm sorry I stole your knife," Quill interrupts him, the boy picks at his armrest guiltily, "I... figured taking that one would be better than trying ta... break inta yer locker. I'm sorry, Captain."

The Centaurian smiles gently, "I know ya are. I prol'ly should 'a armed you months ago... 'en you wouldn'a had ta steal from me. Ain' even gonna ask you abou' Gef. I know yer not sorry abou' that at all."

Peter lowers his gaze and shakes his head, he's not sorry about stabbing Gef. He does feel queasy about it, though. Quill takes a steadying breath as he recalls the sensation of the knife in his fist piercing through fabric and flesh, he looks at his hands. There's blood on them.

The youngest Ravager startles and wipes his hands on his pants. Quill looks at Yondu, who thinks the child just turned a slight shade of green. He didn't know Terrans did that. Peter leaps from the pilot's chair and flies to the lower deck.

Oh, yeah, the pirate muses as he hears the youth's retching, kid's never knifed a body b'fore. Yondu pushes to his feet to follow the piteous sound, but he stops and glances at the primary flight controls. He licks his thumb and wipes away the small, bloody prints he finds.


	11. Chapter 11

The ceramic alloy basin feels cool against Peter's flushed skin. He takes a shuddering breath and wipes his mouth. The boy keeps his mind carefully blank as another wave of nausea rolls up the back of his neck. Quill closes his eyes and shakes his head as it passes.

"W'll, now ye've done it..." Yondu's gruff voice is gentle as he leans against the narrow hatch to the ship's head. The Captain steps over his son and grabs a cloth. "Since you' the first one ta puke on this ship, that means it's yers," Udonta says as he wets the rag and joins Peter on the floor.

"That's... ridiculous," the child Ravager replies, he pushes himself upright and gapes at his Captain. Peter sighs as Yondu mops his brow with the damp cloth.

The Centaurian smirks, "Who you callin' ridiculous, hunh? Tha's how I run things in my clan."

Peter snorts. "No, it isn't. That's not how you run things at all..." he says and scoots closer to his adoptive father.

Yondu chuckles and gathers the boy into his arms. "Alrigh', ya got me, tha's not how I do things," he teases softly and presses the cool rag to the back of Quill's neck as the ten-year-old rests his head against his shoulder. "But I been thinkin' abou' what you asked me... 'bout gettin' you inta yer own quarters, an' I figure I' kill two goons with one bullet."

The boy snickers at the Ravager version of the phrase.

"Ya need yer own space, son..." the Captain goes on, "I need mine, too... An' at this point, yer a strong enough pilot ta have yer own ship... once you fig'red out how to adjust yer seat..."

Quill doesn't even notice the casual jab, he stopped listening after '...yer own ship...' He's gonna have his own ship! The young Terran looks up to his Captain with wonder, and Yondu chuckles at the silent question in those big, blue eyes.

"Yes, Peter," Udonta says, "This bird's all ye..." He can't even finish the statement as the child wraps his arms around his neck and hugs him tightly. Yondu tosses the cloth aside and returns his son's embrace "...Hmph, so yo'r alrigh' now, ain'tchu?"

"Thank you, Captain," Quill murmurs, he lifts his head and meets that bright, red gaze, "I'll take real good care of her... I'll be the best pilot in your fleet."

Yondu smiles proudly, "Startin' this young, you better be. You know a ship needs a name, son, so I wont you ta think abou' that."

"Yessir."

"She's also gonna be yer quarters, an' I expect you ta keep her presen'able."

The boy nods seriously and opens his mouth to assure his Captain when the comm beeps and Kraglin's voice interrupts them.

"Hey, Cap'm?"

The Centaurian grabs the link in his coat collar, "I'm here, Kraglin. Wha's goin' on?"

"We got an incoming scout, sez it's carryin' a gift for ya from the Madam."

The pirate grins, "Thanks, Kraglin, we're heading in. I wonna put this bird in bay ten."

"Copy that, Cap'm... Openin' bay ten for ya now."


	12. Chapter 12

"Madam tell you anything about him?" Kraglin asks the gift as he escorts her through the ship to the Captain.

"Just his name," the professional replies, she smiles at the Ravagers they pass. These poor pirates, she thinks as they gape and stare silently after her, it's like they haven't seen a working woman in a long while.

The First Mate offers her a hand through a blast door. "Good. R'member it," he says and turns a corner. "Cap'm likes hearin' his name."

She nods, most do, and they stop in front of a pressurized door. The lanky Ravager hits a control and the door hisses and slides open to reveal a mean-looking Centaurian speaking firmly to a very small humanoid.

The child does a double-take at the sight of the Captain's present. "Wooow," the kid breathes.

"Don' look at her, look at me," Yondu says, turning the boy's face away from the ribbon-wrapped woman, "What'd I jus' say 'bout yer security protocols?"

"Voice-print's not enough," Peter answers, he steals another quick glance of the pretty Krylorian, "I have to use DNA coding."

"Tha's right, an' here," the Captain produces the short-bladed knife Quill stole from him earlier, but the kid's not paying attention, he's staring at the bright pink alien dressed only in bows, again. "Peter," Udonta thumps the boy on the head with the knife handle, "She ain' here fer you, boy. Take this," he holds the weapon out to his son, "Now I know you got one, an' won' be stealin' knives from me ag'in."

"No, sir. I'll never steal from you again," the child Ravager says seriously as he accepts the blade.

The blue man chuckles and plants his hands on his hips, "W'll that's a lie if I ever heard one." Peter looks like he might argue, but Yondu stops him with a glance. "Alrigh', then. Kraglin's gonna go over the whole ship with you..."

"Mmh," the Xandarian knew that was coming, he closes his eyes and takes a deep, centering breath. Jeez, he needs a break. Maybe he'll tell Captain he's taking a few days leave tomorrow... after they reconcile the shipyards... Dammit! That'll prob'ly take more than a day... ugh.

Kraglin shakes his head and returns to the moment. "So, you gotta name for 'er yet?"

"Yeah! The Milano."

Yondu pauses as he takes his gift's hand, he glances at Obfonteri, they both frown and nod. That's not a bad name.

"Milano, hunh?" Udonta draws the Krylorian to him and wraps a hand around her waist.

"Sounds strong," the prostitute says, pressing close to Yondu's side and draping an arm around his shoulders, "What's it mean?"

Peter blushes as he meets the pink woman's large, dark eyes, "It's the name of... the most beautiful and talented girl on Earth..."

"Terra," Yondu murmurs to his gift, she nods but then looks at him with another question. "Some backwater... It's not close by at all..." he chuckles before she can ask.

The child Ravager fidgets as he looks up at the adults. "Um, on my planet, it's a good omen to name ships after legendary women..."

"S'a good omen on a lotta planets, Pete," Kraglin folds his arms and winks at the kid, Peter grins, "Nice choice."

"Yeah, it is a nice choice," Udonta agrees, "Should get the painter down here. If all the new ships been named, we'll sound the Horns over 'em t'morrow. Make it official."

"Yes, Sir."

"Speakin' a names," the Captain murmurs as he turns and leads the Krylorian away, "What's yo'rs, lovely? ... Never mind, it don' matter. You know my name, right?"

Kraglin snorts while Quill makes a face as the colorful pair flirt and laugh their way down the corridor toward the Captain's rooms.


End file.
